Dee Estuary Birding
Monthly Newsletter...
January 2026
Newsletter
Species Spotlight - Shoveler
With its spectacular plumage and massive bill it's always good to see
a Shoveler. They are by no means our commonest duck as they have rather
specalised habitat requirements, but they are increasing so I thought
it appropiate to detail their current status and recent history, both
locally and in the UK.
Nationally, numbers have been increasing
steadily since the 1980s. The number of over-wintering* birds was
estimated at 19,000 in 2019 (Ref 1) and has increased significantly
since then to 27,000 in 2023/24 (Ref 2), which means the UK now holds
well over
half the Shovelers over-wintering in north-west Europe (usually
estimated at 40,000 - although the total European population is
probably 10 times that (Ref 3)). Most years numbers peak in
October, the birds having flown south and west from their main breeding
grounds in Russia, Finland and the Netherlands, before many move
further south into France, Iberia and North Africa for the winter. Shovelers preferred
habitat is shallow water and this, in a cold spell, is the first to
freeze and such conditions will see a mass movement south. Recently,
there has been many periods of drought, particularly in Iberia, and
this may explain the increase in numbers in the UK over the past few
winters as more birds stay further north than previously. It is
interesting that in the
winter of 2023/24 numbers
in the UK peaked in January rather than October, suggesting that many
Shovelers
did not fly south.
*One has to remember, of course, that 'winter' in this context means any period outside the breeding season and the immediate following summer, so roughly August to April.
The Dee Estuary, reflecting what has been happening
elsewhere in the country, has also shown a siginificant increase in
numbers since the 1980s. Like most of our other duck species there is a
peak in October, and this peak is far more pronounced than for the
country
as a whole suggesting that Shovelers quickly disperse away from the Dee
to other locations for the main winter period.
Over the winters of 2022/23 and 2023/24 there was a big increase on the Dee Estuary with numbers doubling from the winter of 2021/22. As suggested above the severe drought in Spain in 2023 and 2024 probably had a big impact on where the birds decided to fly to. A return to more 'normal' numbers in 2024/25 coincided with wetter conditions in Spain.
On the Dee Estuary the majority of Shovelers are
found on Burton Marsh and there were 340 counted there for the WeBS count in
November 2023. Big numbers can also be found at Burton Mere Wetlands
with 300 in September 2024. Elsewhere, there were 73 on Shotwick
Lake in January 2023, 42 at Connah's Quay in May 2023 and 24 at Point
of Ayr in February 2024. Smaller numbers can turn up at any area of
shallow water.
Breeding
Around 1,500 pairs breed in the UK, a small number compared with the 10,000+ pairs breeding in the Netherlands but there has been a 45% increase over the past 10 years according to the Rare Birds Breeding Panel (2023). On the Dee Estuary the numbers breeding at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands are definitely increasing - just one pair was present back in 2010 with no indication of breeding but by 2015 breeding was succesful with two broods recorded. Two years later in 2017 eight pairs produced five broods and the latest news is that this year, 2025, thirty nine pairs produced at least 10 broods.
Birds of Conservation Concern Amber-List
You might be surprised to learn that the Shoveler is
classed as an amber-listed species in the UK, even though both its
breeding and winter numbers are on the rise. But the listing isn't just
about whether a bird's population is going up or down - it also
reflects how important the UK is for that species overall. In the
Shoveler's case our wetlands host a significant share of Europe's
population, making the UK especially important for its future. Even so,
Shovelers breed in only a few scattered wetland areas, so they're still
vunerable to changes in water levels, drainage, or habitat loss. Their
amber status is a sign of international importance and cautious
watchfulness rather than cause for alarm.
References
1. Teresa Frost et al., Population estimates of Wintering waterbirds in Great Britain, British Birds 112, March 2019.
2. N.A. Calbrade et al., Waterbirds in the UK
2023/24, BTO (WeBS).
3. Waterbird Population Estimates, Wetlands
International.
NOTE: Data for the Dee Estuary has been obtained
from various Cheshire & Wirral Bird Reports and North-east Wales
Bird Reports, as well as Dee Estuary and North Wirral Foreshore WeBS
Annual Reports written by Neil Friswell and approved by the Dee Estuary
WeBS Coordinator Colin E. Wells, for which many thanks.
Richard Smith
Colour Ring Report
Black-tailed Godwit
O-YW//W
Ringed at Snettisham, Norfolk, in September 2019, this bird shows some
interesting movements.
After undergoing post breeding moult at either Snettisham or the Orwell
estuary in Suffolk, it spends early winter in Normandy, including
at Baie du Mont St Michael in late November 2024. The next movement is
north to north-west England and it has been seen on the Dee Estuary in
January and February 2024 and December 2025. Early spring sees it in
Lancashre and it has been recorded both at Pilling Marsh and Leighton
Moss. The only record of it in Iceland was in late May 2022 at Lake
Myvatn in the north of the country, and probably it's breeding location.
Shelduck
Red 4 Yellow Z
Ringed at Bank Island, Lower Derwent Valley NNR, Yorkshire, on
19/03/2025.
Recorded at Thurstaston on 26/12/2025.
We continue to see Shelduck from Lower Derwent
Valley and this is the 25th we've recorded which was ringed there.
Knot
We continue to record lots of colour ringed Knot and
I will do a more comprehensive summary of what we've seen at the end of
the winter. In the meantime, here is an interesting bird ringed by the
Dutch.
Y8YNPP
Ringed on the island of Griend in the Waddensea (Netherlands) in
September 2022.
Recorded just the once in the winter of 2022/23, at Crosby in
November, it was seen next at De Richel in the Waddensea in October
2023, and then at Meols and Thurstaston in the winter of 2023/24.
February 2025 saw it at Hoylake and it was back at Meols on 05/12/2025.
Both the islands of Griend and De Richel are used by
the Dutch to ring many Knots, both are uninhabited with De richel just
being a
permanently dry sandbank. They must be wonderful places to visit being
full of waders in the winter and breeding sea birds (especially terns)
in the summer.
Kestrel
Black (CH)
Ringed at Ashfield Hall Farm, Neston, on 20/06/2025.
Recorded at Neston Old Quay on 26/11/2025.
Colour Rings were recorded by Richard
Smith, Stephen
Hinde, Tony Ormond, Rob Bithell and Sean O'Hara.
Richard Smith
December Bird News
This Bufflehead was a nice find at Point of Ayr, the wild origin of any
North American wildfowl is always difficult to prove with so many kept
over here in wildfowl collections and potential escapees, so unfortunately this is very unlikely to be
accepted by BBRC.
It was good to see three Goldeneyes on West Kirby Marine Lake, they are
always stunning to look at and gave some great views. Last month's
Slavonian Grebe returned to WKML a couple of times. There was an influx
of European White-fronted Geese into the country in late December and
three of these gave good views on Burton Marsh on the 27th and 28th.
Up to three Snow Buntings were on the beach at Gronant all month, but elsewhere there was just one flyover, at Little Eye.
A female Black Redstart was somewhat elusive but was spotted several times around the Hoylake Lifeboat Station area and also (prehaps a second bird?) in 'Hoopoe Hollow' - a horse paddock behind the sand dunes east of Dove Point, Meols.
An unseasonal Lesser Whitethroat was at Burton Mere Wetlands where it gave good views, it was thought to be one of the Siberian race but this is another one difficult to prove.
On the marshes a Bittern was seen regularly, usually
flying into roost at Neston or Parkgate. As usual there were plenty of
Marsh Harriers recorded with a maximum of 16 off Parkgate on the 4th.
Hen Harries were somewhat scarcer with just one ringtail and one grey
male.
It's proving a good winter for Short-eared Owls with up to three seen most days at both Parkgate and Burton/Neston.
What to expect in January
If we have a really cold spell expect cold weather movements, such as an influx of Redwings and Fieldfares. Significant snowfalls may well mean Pink-footed Geese will find it difficult to find food inland and could move to the relatively mild weather of our estuary and coastal fields. In any case, expect big movements of Pink-footed Geese by the month-end as they leave north Norfolk with many moving westwards.
We usually have around 30,000 to 40,000 Knot on the estuary this month, making for some spectacular high tide roosts at Point of Ayr, West Kirby and Hoylake. Many of these feed out in the middle of the estuary on Dawpool Bank at low tide, but much closer views can be had at Meols where they are often seen close to the sea-wall with up to 10,000 present.
Out to sea, on calm days, several hundred Great Crested Grebes can be spotted off North Wirral at high tide, as well as several Red-throated Divers and thousands of Common Scoters. There's also the possibilty of rarer ducks such as Velvet Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks.
So far this winter we've had good views of
Short-eared Owls on the marshes off Neston and Parkgate and hopefully
they'll still be here this month, along with plenty of Marsh Harriers
and one or two Hen Harriers.
January Highest
Tides:
4th 11.32hrs (GMT) 9.5m
5th 12.19hrs (GMT) 9.6m
6th 13.04hrs (GMT) 9.6m